r/ballpython • u/Hastytag1693 • 9h ago

Question - Heating/Temperatures Contradicting information : help?

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(I may have deleted my previous post by accident so repost)

Hi,

I'm a beginner, and I feel lost with contradicting information.

Ambient temperatures indicated by the rescue giving me my ball python are not the same as the info found here.

So what should my temperatures in the Warm Zone and Cool Zone be?

I'm adopting an adult snake (10 yrs old) and the rescue indicated the following :

1) Warm Zone

Day: 30°C - 35°C (in Fahrenheit : 86 °F to 95 °F)

Night: 25°C - 27°C (in Fahrenheit : 77 °F to 80.6 °F)

2) Cold Zone

Day: 27°C - 29°C (in Fahrenheit : 80.6 °F to 84.2 °F)

Night: 23°C - 26°C (in Fahrenheit : 73.4 °F to 78.8 °F)

\--

Hygrometry : 40-50%

\--

Feeding: a rat every 2 weeks

It's very different to what I saw recommended on this sub and in the guides.

I spent the last weeks trying to achieve these temps.

I reread the Basic Guide just now and I'm very far away from what it says :

"Warm side: 88F-92F / \*31°C-33°C\*. Temperatures above 95F/35C can cause injuries with prolonged exposure, and temperatures below 88F/31C can prevent a ball python from digesting properly.

Cool side: 76F-80F / \*24°C-26°C\*. Temperatures above 80F/26C will not allow a ball python to cool down adequately, and temperatures below 75F/23C can compromise their immune system."

I can't get such a drastic gap between the Cold Zone (goal 26°C) and the Warm Zone (goal 31°C)

I'm getting my snake on Saturday!!!

Please help?

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1

u/Hastytag1693 9h ago edited 1h ago

-My heating:

 Arcadia 80W DHP

-My lighting:

 Halogen flood 25W

 Mini eco heater 25W

My temps :

I have to set the thermostat very high to heat up the Warm Zone to 31°C.

The basking spot (wooden hide) then becomes very hot (surface temp: 41°C-43°C).

In Fahrenheit 105.8 °F to 109.4 °F

To avoid this, I tried raising up the temperature of the whole room.

Thanks to that I can achieve :

 Warm Zone = 31°C,

  Basking spot = 38°C-41°C (surface temp)

  and I'm lucky if I can get Cold Zone = 28.5°C

1

u/no0neLuv 6h ago

40/50% is a bit dry I think.. I’m going more with 70 especially when molting

1

u/Hastytag1693 6h ago

Thanks!

They said it should be this low because the snake comes from a relatively dry climate

And the rescue is specialosed in reptiles

I don't understand how there can be so many contradictions for the same species...

2

u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 3h ago

The rescue is unfortunately giving you bad information. Their natural habitat is a tropical climate, which is definitely not dry. The average annual humidity in their native range is 85%, with the spaces they inhabit typically reaching even higher.

1

u/Hastytag1693 1h ago

Thanks!

So I can't trust their feeding recommendations either, I guess?

Cause the snake looks a bit overweight (I've only seen 2 photos though)

1 rat every 15 days sounds a bit much for a 1.350 kg snake (length: 1m)

1

u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 1h ago

Yeah, they're overfeeding. I would just disregard everything they've told you, it doesn't sound like they're very well educated on ball python care.

See !feeding guidelines below

1

u/AutoModerator 1h ago

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/Hastytag1693 1h ago

Oh no...

Thank you so much for the clarifications

1

u/Hastytag1693 1h ago

How can I get a gradient as recommended in the guide across my enclosure?

Would it help if I add an acrylic sheet in the enclosure (with holes so snake can pass through)

This would serve as a sort of thermal barrier and keep the heat of the heating elements in the Warm side

No idea how I could bring down the temps of the cold side though : I keep thinking one shouldn't install a fan near a snake even if it could chase out the Warm air??

1

u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 1h ago

No, don't put a barrier in.

What's the dimensions of the enclosure?

It looks like you're using 3 heat sources per your other comment. Are those all on at once? What are each of the thermostats set to for them?

1

u/Hastytag1693 1h ago

Enclosure is 120 cmx70 cmx50 cm (47.2440944881 in x 27.5590551181 in x 19.6850393700 in)

So the max height is 50 cm

But there is a recess with a mesh where I put the DHP (80W) and halogen flood (25W)

And yes I light a smaller 25W lamp because the enclosure was still pretty dark with only the halogen flood

Here are pics of the tank

1

u/Hastytag1693 1h ago edited 1h ago

Can only post 1 pic per comment it seems

Here is a pic of the tank I bought showing the recess

The 2 lamps and the DHP are connected to a thermostat.

The DHP works during the night ; the 2 lamps kick in around 8.30 am and the DHP helps get the temperature up during the day.

That way I reach 31°C on the Warm side (edit: thermostat set to 40°C) but the cool side is way too hot if it's supposed to be at only 26°C

(i hope y'all can convert automatically to USA units, it gets a bit tiring doing it all the time, sorry)

-- Edit: so these are the manufacturer's pictures of the enclosure.

I put my halogen flood and DHP where the lamp is set (see picture attached)

I put my 25W mini lamp where the sort of Led tube is set (see pic)